Bird Translocations

We specialize in helping to develop translocation protocols and conduct translocations of sensitive bird species- from incubation of eggs through to fledging. Our staff are experts in avian husbandry and collectively have cared for most of Hawaii’s most endangered birds during their careers. We have now translocated five bird species as an organization- the Nihoa Millerbird, the Hawaiian Petrel, Newell’s Shearwater, Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses and have plans for three more species in the coming years. With all of our translocation projects, we also use social attraction to increase the chances of wild adults colonizing the area and to ensure the chicks imprint on the correct species. If you are interested in visiting or volunteering with one of our translocation projects, please go here for more information

From 2015-2017 we translocated 50 Laysan Albatrosses to James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu from PMRF on Kauai (learn more here). This project was unique in that eggs were moved instead of chicks, which meant that we hatched them in incubators and hand-feed the chicks until fledging. The goal of the project was to use unwanted albatross eggs from an aircraft runway on Kauai (where the adults are a hazard to aircraft) and start a new albatross colony on Oahu where they will be safe from both predators and projected sea level rise. You can read more about our “No Net Loss” initiative here: www.islandarks.org. The chicks are cared for daily by our staff where they are fed a daily puree of squid, fish and salmon oil. Their growth is carefully monitored and the chicks that have fledged from this program have fledged in better body condition than their wild counterparts. This project resulted in the successful fledging of 46 chicks and we expect the first chicks to start returning to the site as pre-breeding adults in 2018. In 2016 we constructed a predator proof fence to protect the new colony, and starting in 2017 we have brought a total of 27 Black-footed Albatrosses in hopes of establishing the first main Island colony of this species. Starting in 2018, we will be bringing both Bonin Petrels and Tristrams Storm-petrels to the same area from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands who are vulnerable to sea level rise. Partners on this project include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Navy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the American Bird Conservancy.

Newell’s Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrel translocations

The Nihoku Ecosystem Restoration Project was created in 2012 in order to protect both rare coastal ecosystems as well as provide a predator-free nesting area for native ground-nesting birds in Hawaii. Nihoku is an area between Crater Hill and Mokolea Point at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the North Shore of Kaua`i. The project is a result of a large partnership between multiple government and non-profit groups who have come together to help preserve the native species of Hawaii; Pacific Rim Conservation serves as the overall project coordinator for this effort. The focus is on creating safe nesting habitat for Newell’s Shearwaters (‘A‘o) and Hawaiian Petrels (‘Ua‘u ), Hawai`i’s only two endemic seabirds. This project constructed a predator proof fence on the crater hill section of the refuge in 2014 to serve as a translocation site for Newell’s Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrels. In 2015, Hawaiian Petrel translocations began, and Newell’s Shearwater translocations started a year later in 2016. To date, 49 Hawaiian Petrels, and 26 Newell’s Shearwaters have been moved via helicopter into the fenced area and were successfully reared until fledging and 75 have successfully fledged. The chicks are cared for daily by our staff where they are fed a daily puree of squid, fish and salmon oil. Their growth is carefully monitored and the chicks that have fledged from this program have fledged in better body condition than their wild counterparts; we expect the first Hawaiian Petrel chicks to start returning to the site as pre-breeding adults in 2018. For more information, download the Nihoku Brochure or visit www.nihoku.org.

Social attraction

For each seabird translocation project we do, social attraction systems are implemented in order to attract wild adults to the colony, and help the chicks in returning to the site as adults. Social attraction involves broadcasting the calls of the birds and in some cases (such as for surface nesting albatrosses) putting up artificial decoys and mirrors to visually attract them. In the case of the Black-footed Albatross translocation, we tried social attraction on it’s own for five years before moving to translocation to see if a colony would establish on it’s own at Kaena Point. While the number of visits by wild birds increased slightly, it did not result in the birds nesting. Results of that study can be found here. At the James Campbell National Wildlife translocation site, social attraction results in nesting Wedge-tailed Shearwaters within two years, and Laysan Albatrosses nesting within three years after more than 700 visits by wild adults.

Left: Wild Black-footed Albatross and decoys at Kaena Point. Right: Wild adult Laysan Albatrosses with decoys and sound system at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge.

Nihoa Millerbird translocation

Pacific Rim Conservation partnered with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the American Bird Conservancy to help coordinate the Nihoa Millerbird translocation project, which created a second population of this endangered passerine on Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Millerbird formerly occurred on Laysan but was extirpated in the early 1900s when introduced rabbits destroyed all vegetation on the island. The project involved coordinating numerous partners, planning trip logistics, helping to develop translocation protocols and monitoring methods, and capturing the birds for transport from Nihoa to Laysan in September 2011. All 24 of the Millerbirds translocated survived the trip to Laysan and have been attempting to nest in their new home. This project was the recipient of the 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Award.

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Latest Facebook Post

Many who visit our seabird translocation site ask why we use decoys.It is to socially attract seabirds to the site! Laysan and Black-footed Albatross are attracted to nesting grounds where there are other seabirds, and since the safest place to raise a chick is within one of our predator-proof fences, we want to bring in as many seabirds as we can! This year we have already had quite a few Laysan Albatross dancing and hanging out in the predator-proof fence at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge.To learn more about our social attraction efforts and predator-proof fences visit us at www.pacificrimconservation.org #SeabirdSocialAttraction #SeabirdDecoys #SafeSeabirdHabitat #IslandsWithinIslands #RestoringBiodiversity #AlbatrossTranslocation #PacificRimConservation ...